Baseball glove or mitt



A. J. TURNER BASEBALL GLOVE 0R MITT Sept. 9, 1941.

Filed Oct. 25, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 9, 1941.

A. J. TURNER BASEBALL GLOVE OR MITT Filed 001;. 25, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 9, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BASEBALL GLOVE OR MITT Archibald J. Turner, Chicago, 111., assignor to Wilson Sporting Goods 00., a corporation of Delaware My invention relates to baseball gloves or mitts. The major object of my invention is the elimination of a scye seam across the base of the thumb where it joins the palm. Such a seam is subject to considerable tearing strain and attrition by the impact of the ball as it strikes the pocket. For this reason, such thumb base seams have been the points on which baseball gloves and mitts first gave way. The elimination of the seam is calculated to avoid this Weak spot by substituting a smooth continuous surface for the ball pocket.

My invention is more specifically concerned with the solution of problems in design arising from the use of a thumb front which is an integral continuation of the palm piece, and especially whereby the glove or mitt, although thus constructed, can be so tailored as to urge the thumb toward, and to hold it normally in, the proper angular position in reference to the palm to contribute its share toward the formation of the ball pocket.

A further object of my invention is a cutting pattern for such a glove or mitt, whereby the trank, which includes the palm area, may also include the thumb front, or even the thumb front and back as integral portions of the trank, without bringing the seams into the ball pocket forming portions of the glove or mitt.

The foregoing, together with further objects, features and advantages of my invention, are set forth in the following description of a specific embodiment thereof and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Fig. 1 is a front or palm view of a baseball glove embodying my invention;

7 Fig. 2 is a plan view of the glove; Fig. 3 is a thumb end. or side View of the glove;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary back view of the glove, showing the rear elevation of the thumb, the lower part of the index finger, and adjoining parts;

Fig. 5 is a fiat view of the palm trank;

Fig. 6 is a flat view of an inset piece; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the trank of Fig. 5 with the inset of Fig. 6 stitched thereto and the thumb closed up, which is an intermediate stage in the manufacture of the glove.

. Although I have here illustrated my invention as applied to a baseball glove, it will be understood that most of the features of my invention may be incorporated in a baseball mitt as well. The outstanding feature of my glove I0 is that the thumb H, or at least its front, is inte tween the thumb and palm in the region of the ball receiving pocket [3, or at any place where the ball would ordinarily engage the glove (because a seam in such a place is a source of excessive wear or tearing), and yet the thumb is normally urged into such angular relationship with the palm that it contributes its share toward the formation of the pocket [3, without the necessity of exertion of any pressure by the wearers thumb to hold the thumb in its proper normal pocket forming position.

Since Figs. 1 to 4 are largely self-explanatory of the general natureof the glove, I shall proceed with a description in terms of its principal component parts and the manner in which they are seamed together.

Fig. 5 shows the trank I4, or main palm piece, together with its several integral extensions. The central portion of the trank constitutes a palm portion proper l5, which extends from the heel l6 upwardly to the bases of the fingers and between the thumb base and the outer edge of the hand.

The upper portion of the trank I4 is slitted downwardly to define the fronts l1, 18, I9 and 20 of the index, second, third, and little fingers, respectively. In the particular design shown, the trank is further slitted to define the outer half 2| of the back of the index finger, while a partial indentation defines the outer half 22 of the back of the little finger. At its lower left-hand corner, the trank l4 includes, as an integral extension thereof, a thumb front 23 and a thumb back 24. If, as here shown, some of the back of the index finger is included in the trank, the base of the index finger back is severed from the adjacent lateral edge of the thumb front 23 by a cut or slit 25 along the latter. The base of the thumb back 25 is severed from the palm portion l5 adjacent its heel l6 by a cut or slit 26. The slit 26 preferably extends beyond the fold or boundary line 21 between the thumb front and thumb back and a short distance across the base of the thumb front 23, as shown at 26. In practice, it is preferable to enlarge the end 26" of the cut into something of a teardrop contour.

Because of the cut 26, the thumb back 24 extends wholly from the thumb front 23; that is, it is only by way of the thumb front 23 that the thumb back 24 is an integral extension of the palm portion 15. The thumb back 24 carries a tongue 28, which projects in the direction of its lower edge (as viewed in the trank of Fig.

'gral with the palm I 2 to obviate a seambe- 5) and beyondthe base of the thumb back. The

[are sewn. together bywthe thumb seam 36.

r a U-shaped orV-shaped cutout 34. The back edge 3! constitutes the back edge of the lobe 33. Subjectfto compensation for the spacing of seams back somewhat from the margins of the edges being sewn, the following relationships are maintained as between the various-margins of the trank Hi and the inset 29:. The perimeter of the lobe 32 from the bottomedge'3l'l to'the bottom of the cutout 34 equals" the distance for the glove.

3 and 4, the heel edge l6 of the trank and the bottom edge 30 of the inset 29 and the bottom edge of the strap 3l3all of which then come into a horizontal plane in the finished gloveare finished with a continuous beaded binding 4|.

The usual lining and padding for the glove are, of course, included, and also -a web 42 between the thumb and index finger.

By my invention I obtain a desirable tailoring The thumb is maintained in its proper normal conformation in reference to "Lith'eflball receiving pocket l3. The seams are kept out of the region likely to be impacted by fromthe heel edge It along the out 26 and around the margin of the teardrop-shapedex'-- tension 26' of the cut to the line 21.

- the tongue 28. Thesejmargins are sewn together by the portion 35b of the inset seam. The upper margin of the lobe 33 between the cutout 34 and the back edge 3i is of the same length as the tongue 28, and theyare sewn together by the .portion 3500f the'seam 35. The seam. 35, as 'well as the other seams mentioned, are here shown as of the wlelted type.

The margin of theithumb back 24 from the line 2'! around its out-er end and along its opposite margin to the end of the tongue 28 is of the same length as the margin of the -thumb front 23 from the lineil aroundits end and along the cut 25 to the inner end thereof, plus the length of the baseiof the index finger back half ZIid'efinedby the cut 25. These margins The portion -3Ga-of the seam 36 joins the ends 0f the thumb front and thumb back to close the thumb .tip; the portion 36b joins the lateral margins of..the thumb front and thumb back to close. up the :thumb along the inner lateral edge ofthe :thumb; and the portion 330 joins the lateral edge of the tongue with the base of the" index :finger back half along the cut-. 25.

Theseveral'seam portions 35a, 35b and 350 are formed successively as a continuous seain'35. 'IheJsameis true of the seam 33. In fact, the seaml'3fi inthe finished glove lies substantially As indicated in E-igsJZ and 4, the other half of the indexifingerback and little'finger back,

as well as thehalves for the backs -of the other fingers,- as collectively indicated by 3'|a-re sewn to. the appropriate finger margins of the trank i4. after the. preassembly of Fig. 7 has been completed. This gives finger backs longitudinally'seamed along their medial lines, which These two "within the ,planewhich divides the thumb into frontand back. '55,

may. be in. accordance with the finger construc- 7 .tions :disclosed. in my application Serial No. 249,696, Ifiled .January 7; 1939 on Baseball gloves, issued as a Patent No. 2,231,204, February 11, 194.1. Asshown in Fig. '4, the thumb end of lthe back' on-wrist strap ,38 'is sewn 'duced to the two-seams 35 and 36.

thelballf'Yet the seaming operations are reduced to a minimum and are kept very simple. The seaming which involves the thumb is re- They are not complicated by running into, or intersecting, one another. Instead, they terminate conveniently in edges which are subsequently inished byv the bead bindings 43 and. 'One -of theadvantages .of the use of the tongue 28iis thatit:permits the seams 35' and 33 both to run to .the opening .39 without coming together.

The .use of the slit 2:6 in the trank M to sever the base of: the thumb back from the palm portion "enableswboth the front *and back of the thumb to be anxintegral part of the palm trank.

Thereby seams can be obviated where they are' likely to be impacted bythe ball. The lobe 33 of the inset piece spreads apart, and spaces, the margins of thecut 2.3 and its extension 26 in such a manner as to tend. to throw the thumb into the desirable angular. relation with the palm. This is further. aided by the additional stock added to the base of the back of the thumb by the inset lobe .33. This, in turn, further tends to swing the thumb toward the palm even though the thumb'edge of th trankzis folded over-to the back of the hand.

While I have illustrated and describedi-this specific embodiment of my invention, I contemplate". that numerous changes andisubstitutions may bemade without departing from the scope or spirit thereof.

uIclaimzt. v I

:1. Ascyelessttrank for a baseball glove or mitt having a palm region, vertical finger :fronting thereaibove; a palm. heel at itsbottom-, a thumbiront joined to thepalm area at its base, a thumb back joined at one lateral edge to the lower lateral edge of the thumb front, the thumb front and back beingclisposedto extend downwardly and outwardly with the base of the thumb back abutting the palm region, and a slit extend ing upwardly and'outwardly' from the thumb end of the heel edge-to sever the'palm area fromth baseof the 'thumb ba'ck. r a r 2. A scy'eless' trank for a baseball glovevor mitt,';according t'o claim 1, wherein the sl-it is extended upwardly and outwardly a short dis tance between-the palm area and the base "of the thumb Iront-adjoining its connection-with the-thumb back;

3. A baseball glove or mitt comprisinga {palm trank-havinga palm"pontiom-a'portion for Gov tending beyon d 1 the ;base' of the thumb back joining the inside lateral 'edge of the thumb, "a

slit severing the thumb back from the palm por tion adjacent the base of the thumb back, a slit severing the finger back from the inside edge of the thumb front, and an inset piece sewn to the base of the thumb back and having an upward lobe at its palm end inserted in the firstmentioned slit to spread its edges divergingly apart, the tongue being inserted between and sewn to the other end of the inset piece and the severed bottom end of the index finger back portion, the thumb back and thumb front being sewn together along the inside lateral edge of the thumb to close the thumb.

4. A baseball glove or mitt, according to claim 3, whereby the inset is joined to the trank by a continuous seam extending from along the tongue to the heel of the palm portion, and the joining of the tongue to the bottom of the finger back portion is by a continuation of the seam which joins the thumb front and thumb back along the inside lateral edge of the thumb.

5. A baseball glove or mitt formed from a palm trank which includes the thumb front and thumb back, a wrist strap, an opening in the back of the hand above the wrist strap, a cut in the palm trank severing the base of the thumb back from the palm area, an inset having a portion extending into the cut and interposed between the base of the thumb back and the opening, a continuous seam between adjacent margins of the thumb front and thumb back to close the thumb and extending to a terminus at the back opening, and a second continuous seam securing the inset to the margins of the cut and to the base of the thumb back terminating at the heel of the palm and also at the back opening, the two seams throughout their length being separated from each other.

6. A baseball glove or mitt comprising a palm piece extending to the heel edge, a thumb having a front and back, an inset extending from the base of the thumb to the bottom edge of the glove as a continuation of the heel edge and extending rearwardly of the base of the thumb back and beneath the index finger position, a back for the index finger position, and an integral tongue extending rearwardly from the thumb back and seamed to and between the inset and the finger back.

7. A baseball glove or mitt, according to claim 6, wherein the thumb front and thumb back are seamed together along the rear lateral edge of the thumb and the seam which seams the finger back to the tongue is a continuation thereof, and wherein the seam which seams the tongue to the inset is a continuation of a seam which.

seams the base of the thumb back to the inset.

8. A baseball glove or mitt, according to claim 6, wherein the thumb front and thumb back are seamed together along the rear lateral edge of the thumb and the seam which seams the finger back to the tongue is a continuation thereof.

9. A thumb trank for a baseball glove or mitt which includes the thumb front and thumb back integrally joined along the lateral edge of the thumb with their opposite edges seamed together to close up the thumb along its inner lateral edge, the thumb back having an integral tongue whose margin constitutes an extension of its said seamed edge and is adapted to extend into the back of the glove or mitt below the back for the index finger region.

10. A palm trank for a baseball glove or mitt comprising a palm, finger fronting theneabove, a horizontal heel edge at the bottom of the palm, a horizontal thumb front integral only at its base with the palm, a horizontal thumb back beneath the thumb front and joined thereto only at the juxtaposed lateral edges of the thumb front and thumb back, a slit extending upward- 1y from the heel severing the palm from the base of the thumb back, and a tongue extending along the lower edge of the thumb back beyond its base and a substantial spaced distance below the heel edge of the palm.

11. A palm trank for a baseball glove or mitt, according to claim 10, wherein the trank includes a covering for the back of the index finger, the base of which is severed from the upper edge of the thumb front by a horizontal cut of length approximating the length of the tongue.

12. A baseball glove or mitt, which obviates a thumb base scam in the ball-pocket-forming portion of the palm face, comprising a palm piece, a thumb front which is an integral continuation of the palm piece and which integrally joins the palm only at the base of the thumb front, a thumb back which is an integral continuation of the palm piece via only the thumb front and which integrally joins the thumb front only at the outer lateral edge of thethumb, the base of the thumb back being severed from the palm area of the palm piece by a slit adjoining the thumb edge of its heel, the thumb front and thumb back being joined along the inside lateral edge of the thumb to close the thumb, and an inset below the outer lateral edge of the thumb, which inset adjoins the adjacent base of the thumb and which has an upwardly extending lobe at its palm end sewn into the slit and 0f substantially greater width than the slit to spread the edges of the slit apart, and which also has a lobe at its outer end seamed to the base of the thumb back and extending to a point below the thumb crotch.

ARCI-IIBALD J. TURNER. 

